phd in clinical research in germany

Graduate School of Biomedical Science

Biome - core: phd epidemiology and clinical research.

The PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research is a structured, internationally oriented graduate programme over three years. Within the framework of the Universitätsallianz Ruhr (UA Ruhr) several departments are involved in the PhD study programme. These are the Center of Clinical Epidemiology (CCE) at the IMIBE at Essen University Hospital, the Chair of Mathematical Statistics with Applications in Biometrics at the TU Dortmund University, the Department for Medical Computer Science, Biometrics and Epidemiology and the Research Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance at the Ruhr University Bochum.

The PhD programme aims to enable its doctoral candidates to independently plan, conduct, evaluate and publish clinical studies concerning epidemiological and clinical questions (early detection, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis) in due consideration of Good Epidemiological Practice (GEP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP). In their dissertation the candidates prove they can achieve results through independent scientific work, which serve the development of both the epidemiological area of studies and clinical medicine.

The three-year study programme comprises the integration of an individual research project and a two-year accompanying programme, which counts 300 teaching units of 45 minutes each. 263 teaching units will be held in mandatory and elective modules. 37 teaching units can be elected by free choice and serve the development of core competencies in epidemiology. The seminars will be taught as modular, three-day or week-long courses. Therefore, the knowledge and skills enabling the dissertation complement one another and are acquired in consecutive seminars. Amongst other things, mandatory modules of the PhD programme include:

• Epidemiology
• Biometrics/Statistics
• Statistical Analysis Programmes
• Medicine for Non-Physicians. 

As part of the Summer School international guest lecturers will offer sessions on interesting topics from the field of Epidemiology and Clinical Research. During the PhD study programme the doctoral candidates will be advised by at least two supervisors. The third year of the programme is used to finalize the dissertation. Upon successful completion of the PhD study programme the Medical Faculty of the University Duisburg-Essen will confer the candidates the doctoral degree “Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)”. The language of instruction is English.

PhD Programme Web Site and Application Details

PLEASE NOTE : Admission to the PhD Programme is closed and any enquiries or applications concerning these courses should be addressed directly to their respective speakers or coordinators and not to the Graduate School of Biomedical Science. 

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Introductory Film to doing a PhD in Epidemiology

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Ph.d. program - medical research in epidemiology & public health.

Welcome to the Ph.D. program - Medical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (Ph.D.-EPH)

This international and interdisciplinary structured Ph.D. program is part of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health and the Munich Medical Research School. We offer talented doctoral candidates research and training opportunities in the following fields:

• Clinical, Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology • Clinical Trials and Translational Medicine • Environmental Risk Factors on Health and Disease • Genomic and Molecular Medicine • Digital Health • Clinical and Evidence-based Prevention • Health Services Research • Health Economics and • Evidence-based Public Health

Each of our Ph.D. candidates, in close collaboration with his or her direct supervisor and other members of the TAC Thesis Advisory Committee , define the specific research aims and curriculum content that he or she will follow during the (minimum) three years of study. This individual tailor-made training and supervision concept ensures that the needs of each Ph.D. candidate are met on their way to obtaining their degree.

During the Ph.D., each doctoral candidate must acquire 180 ECTS. Curricular activities cover 30 ECTS and are divided into three modules:

17 ECTS - Method Courses - improving knowledge and methodological skills related directly to the Ph.D. project  8  ECTS - Conferences & Retreats  5  ECTS - Transferable Skills

The remaining credits are achieved within the scope of research work which includes writing the Ph.D. thesis in English (140 ECTS) and the oral thesis defence (10 ECTS). To learn more about the general framework of the Ph.D. Program and the formal requirements for our Ph.D. candidates, please visit the MMRS website .

Costs & Funding

The Ph.D. program is free of charge with the exception of the LMU enrolment fee (approx. 150€ per semester). The estimated costs of living in Munich are at 1000-1500€ per month. Please note that we do not provide any scholarships. Here you can find information about funding possibilities beyond our Ph.D. program.

Flyer (PDF, 1,3 MB)

• phd-eph-flyer (1 MByte)
• Ph.D. Journal Club (mandatory)
• Quantitative Methods
• Advanced Methods in Epidemiology
• Courses in Applied Epidemiology
• Seminar in Advanced Epidemiology
• Clinical Epidemiology I – Part 1: Medical Informatics and Regulatory Issues in Clinical Research
• Clinical Epidemiology I – Part 2: Advanced Methods in Clinical Epidemiology: Design, Evidence Synthesis, Safety and Quality
• Clinical Epidemiology II: Defining and Measuring Endpoints for Clinical Studies and Advanced Statistical methods
• From Concept to Analysis
• Module Health Geography
• Epidemiology and Research Design
• Specialization Biometry
• Public Health Nutrition
• Alessandra Schirin Gessl
• Ama Twumwaa Acheampong
• Anna Novelli
• Stephan Voß
• Anna Leibinger
• Carmen Klinger
• Claire Slesinski
• Francesco Antonio Foppiano Florez Estrada
• Michael Hindelang
• Leyla Larsson
• Linmiao Jiang
• Amani Al Tawil
• Andrea Becker-Pennrich
• Markus Schwarz
• Megan-Schröder
• Nicole Holliday
• Nina Schurig
• Nuha Shugaa Addin
• Olukemi Omowumi Ige
• Rebecca Brambilla
• Saori Harada
• Sarah Preis
• Sebastian Fuchs
• Stefan Buchka
• Mairi McClean

The 2020 Ph.D. Retreat took place from July 6th to July 7th, 2020 – as first online retreat via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty students, seven supervisors and two guest speakers joined the Ph.D. retreat which allowed a vivid exchange and interaction despite the difficult situation due to the pandemic. mehr

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• PhD Global Health

The structured PhD program Global Health at the Charité is a collaboration between seven partnering institutions. It aims to train excellent scientists for leadership positions in global health. The program imparts an interdisciplinary  perspective on health and a sensitivity to inter-cultural factors affecting health.

Applications are accepted from June 20 to August 20, 2024 for admission in October 2024.

The next application window will be January 15 to March 1, 2025  for admission in October 2025.

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Key Facts - PhD Global Health

Seven collaborating partners in Berlin

• Enrollment at the Charité
• Language of instruction is English
• University degree conferred: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Standard period of study 3 years / 6 semesters

• 30 ECTS course work
• 150 ECTS scientific research work (dissertation)

Admission of 15 doctoral candidates per year

• Eligibility requirements are a master’s degree or equivalent
• Application period 2024 TBA
• First PhD Cohort starting October 2024

The structured PhD Global Health is tuition free

If you have any questions please check our FAQs oder send an Email to  phd-globalhealth(at)charite.de

Cooperating Partners - PhD Global Health

The structured PhD Global Health is a joint doctoral program hosted at the Charité. It brings together the outstanding expertise in Global Health of the following seven cooperating partners (in alphabetical order):

• Charité -  Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Freie Universität Berlin (FU)
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU)
• Robert Koch-Institut (RKI)
• Technische Universität Berlin (TU)
• Universität Potsdam
• Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB)

PhD candidates are enrolled at the Charité. The degree awarded upon completion of the three year program is PhD in Global Health. The program requires participants to complete 30 ECTS of coursework divided over the 6 semesters and work on a research project (equivalent to 150 ECTS / 5 Semesters) that will result in publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals (doctorate by publication). The program concludes with an oral defense.

The thematic focus of the doctoral program is based on the health-relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The topics we wish to address include communicable and non-communicable diseases, the prevention and control of disease outbreaks, global health security, migration and health, universal health coverage, the role of climate and the environment as determinants of health, One Health, governance and health policy, health economics, community engagement as well as digitalization in healthcare. The doctoral program approaches research topics from an interdisciplinary perspective and incorporates a variety of methodological and conceptual approaches. Through the close exchange between teachers, supervisors and doctoral students, we support the critical examination of institutional and political constellations in the field of global health.

Modes of Study

The PhD Global Health seeks to develop expertise around the globe. We hope to provide prospective students with modes of participation that match their needs and their lifestyles, regardless of where they are from. You can chose to relocate to Berlin for the program or you can stay in your home country and travel to Berlin to participate in coursework and for temporary research stays.

Berlin-based track

• The Berlin-based PhD allows you to live in Berlin and expects you to travel for field research, research exchanges or conferences. This path is often more convenient for EU candidates.

Sandwich track

The intent of the sandwich track is for PhD students to conduct their research as well as to continue their work and career development in their home country, while receiving input and exchange opportunities in Berlin. Sandwich track PhD students join a cohort of young researchers in Berlin, but also maintain a strong research network and the career support of a sending institution in their home country, where their PhD research is embedded. Sandwich track PhD students expand the Berlin PhD Global Health program’s research networks and collaborative reach. The sandwich track allows PhD students to limit the time spent in Berlin to research stays of 3 months or less per year. This often makes it easier to meet visa requirements and limits costs.

• Sandwich track PhD students start the doctoral program by spending 3 months from October to December in Berlin, while completing the required Core Course in Global Health. They subsequently return to their home country to continue their work and pursue their research project in their home country. Sandwich track PhD students participate in the required course Doctoral Student Seminar remotely, together will all the other PhD students.  
• Sandwich track PhD students come back to Berlin for a second research stay the following year, again for 3 months from October to December, while completing the required course Mentored Teaching in Global Health.
• Sandwich track PhD students can complete their elective courses either in their home country, or during their research stays in Germany, or in any other country of their choice.
• Sandwich track PhD students are supervised by an interdisciplinary supervisory team that includes researchers from Berlin and their home institution. Though the first supervisor must come from the Berlin Coorperating Partners, we aim to provide sandwich track PhD students with a shared and collaborative supervision.
• The oral defence of the PhD can take place either online or in-person.

What is Global Health?

Global Health is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field dedicated to addressing health challenges on a global scale. Focused on promoting well-being, preventing diseases, and improving healthcare access for all , it transcends national borders to tackle complex health issues that affect diverse populations worldwide. Global Health professionals work collaboratively to understand and address the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health, striving to create equitable and sustainable solutions.

From infectious diseases to non-communicable illnesses, Global Health emphasizes the importance of international cooperation, research, and policy development to build resilient healthcare systems and foster a healthier future for communities across the globe.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide the major themes of  PhD Global Health program. Program participants are encouraged to approach their research from conceptually and methodologically innovative perspectives. The topics to be addressed include communicable and non-communicable diseases, pandemic intelligence, monitoring, surveillance and prevention, migration and health, universal health coverage, the role of climate and environment as determinants of health, One Health, governance and health policy, as well as digitalization and health. The PhD Global Health aims to approach research from an interdisciplinary perspective, incorporating a variety of methodological and conceptual approaches. Close exchanges between faculty, supervisors and doctoral candidates encourage critical thinking and innovation in Global Health.

A PhD in Global Health opens the door to a myriad of impactful and diverse career prospects at the intersection of healthcare, research, and policy. Graduates are well-equipped to take on leadership roles in international organizations, governmental agencies, non-profit institutions, and academic settings. As researchers, they contribute to advancing our understanding of global health challenges, developing innovative interventions, and shaping evidence-based policies. Professionals with a PhD in Global Health may also engage in fieldwork, implementing health programs and strategies in diverse communities around the world. Additionally, opportunities exist in academia, where individuals can contribute to the education and mentorship of the next generation of global health leaders. With a unique skill set that combines research, critical thinking, and cross-cultural understanding , those with a PhD in Global Health are poised to make a meaningful impact on global healthcare disparities and contribute to the development of sustainable and equitable health systems worldwide.

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The LMU Medical Faculty has offered the Ph.D. Medical Research , a structured doctoral program of at least three years, for several years now. The Ph.D. is a research and training program, around medical research topics. In particular, it focuses on biomedical experimental, clinical, translational, and health sciences research. The Ph.D. Medical Research is designed for graduates who have completed an undergraduate degree (master's degree, state examination, or similar) in medicine, veterinary medicine, the natural sciences, pharmacy, a health science, or a related field and plan to conduct full-time research for at least three years .

In order to provide structured doctoral programs for Ph.D. students, university professors and lecturers in the Faculty of Medicine have joined together in various core areas and have committed themselves to adhere to the framework (recruitment, supervision, qualification and examination) specified in the study regulations for the Ph.D. Medical Research. This implies that events (workshops, seminars, etc.) are offered jointly within the framework of a core area. Depending on demand, doctoral students from other departments can also participate, which allows a lively exchange to take place and networks to be formed.

The concept of individual Ph.D. projects in the different research areas, coupled with a structured and partly integrative training program has proved successful over the past years.

Introduction of the Ph.D. Medical Research

A description of the Ph.D. Medical Research (structure, minimum requirements, etc.) can be found here.

Application and Selection

In order to obtain a Ph.D. in Medical Research, you must complete an application and selection process. Depending on which area you wish to carry out your Ph.D. in, there may be different application deadlines and procedures.

Core Areas and Research Training Groups

Currently, there are 5 Ph.D. core areas at the faculty, in addition to numerous SFBs and graduate programs that offer a Ph.D. in Medical Research. If none of the existing programs fit, there is the possibility of an "individual Ph.D. in Medical Research".

Supervision of your Ph.D. Project

Information on who can supervise your Ph.D. project, as well all documents required for this, can be found here.

Registration of your Ph.D. Project

Once you have successfully applied and been accepted for the Ph.D. Medical Research, you need to register yourself and your project using the online platform.

Curriculum and Courses

The Ph.D. Medical Research requires you to complete a curriculum comprising 30 ECTS. Information on how to accomplish this, can be found here.

Submission of your Ph.D. Thesis

Once you have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. Medical Research, you can submit your thesis.

Further Procedure and Oral Defence

Information on the evaluation process of your thesis, as well as on the oral defence can be found here.

Completion of the Procedure and Certificates

Once you have successfully completed your oral defence, you must submit the statutory copies to the University Library, before you can receive your degrees and certificates.

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Ph.D. Program Medical Research - International Health

The Ph.D. program Medical Research - International Health combines health-related research in the widest sense and development cooperation. Special focus lies in educating researchers who in turn become multipliers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and thus the next generation of health professionals. Not only acquiring knowledge for one's own interest, but importing and multiplying the knowledge to areas in need should be a guiding working motive while working as a Ph.D. student at CIH LMU . This motive is complying with global development strategies that have recognized the human resource crisis as a key factor in the deterioration of health systems in low- and middle-income countries.

From this stance arises a certain focus on candidates from LMICs to provide their home countries with competent and responsible researchers and health professionals. However, the Ph.D. program is open to all who share an interest in health-related issues in the field of development cooperation. Therefore, we encourage all professionals of any nationality to become part of the Ph.D. program, people working in health or health-related fields who are willing to improve the local research and health situation both through manpower and knowledge.

The Ph.D. program Medical Research - International Health is part of the Munich Medical Research School (MMRS), a central institution of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München’s Medical Faculty. One of the main tasks of the MMRS is to establish Ph.D. core areas under the examination regulations for "Ph.D. Medical Research", in order to promote the faculty's internationalization. All doctoral students are automatically members of the MMRS upon admittance to the Ph.D. program Medical Research - International Health.

3 years full-time sandwich program

The doctoral project is supervised by both a local supervisor and two to three LMU supervisors. Doctoral candidates start their doctoral degree in Munich during Module Block I (Oct-Dec), but subsequently spend the research periods in their home country. After the first research period, Ph.D. candidates come to Munich for Module Block II (Jan-March) before completing the doctorate in their home country with the participation of the LMU supervisors

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Medical Research – International Health

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

There are no tuition fees. However, please note that you need to be able to finance your research and the stays in Munich. Please see more details under "Costs" .

01 December 2023 to 31 January 2024, via the MMRS registration portal .

Our Ph.D. MR-IH study handbook contains important information about the course of study and the degree in a bundled format.

If you would like comprehensive information about the Ph.D. program or have specific questions, we offer an Information Session each year before the application period begins. The next information session will be announced in due time. Registration is required.

Further Information

• Research projects
• Supervision of your Ph.D.
• Ph.D. Thesis Submission
• Thesis evaluation and Oral Defense
• Obtaining the degree
• Scholarships

Application

Before applying, make sure to carefully read about the application requirements and selection process , and click here to register.

Helpful links for Ph.D. candidates

• Past Ph.D. Research Topics

The support by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union.

Ph.D. Program Medical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health

This international and interdisciplinary structured Ph.D. program is a part of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health and the Munich Medical Research School. Students are offered excellent research opportunities, tailor-made training and supervision in the following fields:

Genetic, Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology

Clinical Trials and Translational Medicine

Clinical and Evidence-based Prevention

Health Services Research

Health Economics

Evidence-based public health

The program

The Ph.D. program takes a minimum of three years. During this time, each student must acquire 180 ECTS. Curricular activities cover 30 ECTS and are divided into three modules:

17 ECTS - Method Courses 8 ECTS - Conferences & Retreats 5 ECTS - transferable skills

The remaining credits are achieved within the scope of research work which includes writing the Ph.D. thesis in English (140 ECTS) and the oral thesis defense (10 ECTS).

Application

The Ph.D. program begins once a year in the winter semester (October). The application deadline is usually around end of January. Requirements are a master's degree in a subject related to health sciences, proficiency in English and good mathematical and statistical skills.

More information on the program can be found on the website of the IBE .

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The "Ph.D. Program Medical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health" is an international and interdisciplinary program headquartered at the Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE) of LMU Munich. It is part of the Munich Medical Research School and the Pettenkofer School of Public Health. The program is aimed towards excellent candidates from different disciplines and provides research and training opportunities in the fields of Genetic, Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology, Clinical Trials and Translational Medicine, Clinical and Evidence-based Prevention, Pharmacoepidemiology, Evidence-based Public Health, and Health Economics. Each Ph.D. candidate works in close collaboration with their Thesis Advisory Committee to define the specific research aims and curricular content of their studies. This individual tailor-made training and supervision concept ensures that the needs of each Ph.D. candidate are met on their way to obtaining their degree. Through a structured and stimulating curriculum – including courses, seminars, workshops, a Journal Club and an annual retreat – the doctoral candidates have the opportunity to connect and exchange information with their fellows as well as with professors and visiting researchers.

Web: www.ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de/phd-studiengang

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Doctoral studies at HHU

There are several ways to earn a doctorate depending on the faculties, the individual research fields as well as on the type of doctorate. It can be completed within a structured programme or quite independently under the supervision of a professor. Over a period of about three to four years, doctoral students conduct independent research, write a dissertation and usually defend it through an oral examination. The starting date is not bound to the university semesters, but rather depends on the available funding options for the individual research projects.

At HHU, doctoral candidates are individually supervised and supported in order to advance their careers. The following applies to all faculties of HHU:

• the regulations for doctoral studies stipulate that doctoral theses must be overseen by two supervisors; i.e. a second supervisor may be added to the PhD advisory committee
• the course "Good Scientific Practice" is mandatory for all doctoral candidates
• the doctoral research is conducted within a structured doctoral programme or, alternatively, can be completed within the framework of a structured curriculum at the respective faculties' graduate academies
• international junior researchers receive advice and support from the Junior Scientist and International Research Center (JUNO) regarding their stay in Germany and at HHU
• the faculties' graduate academies offer a broad qualification programme for doctoral students and a comprehensive counseling service
• the  Heine Research Academies and the graduate academies of the  Faculty of Medicine (MedRSD) , the  Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences (iGRAD)  and the  Faculty of Arts and Humanities (PhilGRAD) provide a common framework of support and structured education for all doctoral researchers.

In Germany and at HHU, the most common PhD track is completing an individual doctorate under the supervision of a professor and thereby conducting research largely independently on one's own research topic. This offers a great deal of flexibility but also demands a high degree of personal initiative and responsibility. To start such a doctoral project, you first need to find a supervisor at HHU. The supervision of a doctoral thesis is an individual agreement between the doctoral researcher and the supervisor. In some faculties at HHU (e.g. Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences) an additional supervising professor is mandatory. 

Doctoral students conducting an indivual doctorate may be employed by the supervisor's institute, which often requires them to work on a specific project or to participate in the teaching requirements of the institute. Vacancies for this path to a doctorate are often advertised on the research institute's website or can be found at the HeRA job portal . Doctoral researchers who are not employed by the institute are advised to organise funding for their dissertation project , for example by a scholarship.

How long it takes to complete an individual doctorate depends mainly on one's own time schedule. Three to four years are within in the normal range.

Find further information on how to apply for an individual doctorate here .

In structured doctoral programmes, doctoral students and their research topics are integrated into a larger scientific framework in which the students work on a common research focus or methodology. These programmes are often interdisciplinary and/or have a strong international orientation with English as the team language. In general, they offer a subject-specific curriculum as well as opportunities to acquire transferable skills and additional qualifications. Doctoral students are generally supervised by a thesis advisory committee, i.e. in teams of several professors participating in the programme. 

At HHU you have a broad spectrum of structured doctoral programmes in research training groups and graduate schools funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Excellence Initiative, the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and HHU itself. Sometimes they include collaborations with other universities, non-university research institutes such as the Helmholtz Association or the International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) as well as other international partners.

Programme specific scholarships or job offers for doctoral candidates usually provide funding for at least three years. Find further information on available scholarships or job offers at the graduate programmes' websites or and the HeRA job portal . Click here  for details on how to apply for a graduate programme.

Steps to a doctorate

Application

Re-Registration of doctoral students for a new semester

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Structured Doctoral Programs

Each of our structured doctoral programs offers a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary curriculum designed to help you realize your full potential and prepare for a successful career. The programs include innovative, personalized advising with regular progress checks, as well as extensive opportunities to broaden your research network and connect with peers in your field.

The University of Bonn offers a wide range of funding opportunities, which have been summarized for you on this page, divided into the following categories:

Bonn International Graduate Schools (BIGS)

Phd programs within our cluster of excellence.

• Structured Doctoral Programs by Discipline 

Third-Party Funded Programs

Doctoral education at the highest level: BIGS enable doctoral studies in outstanding research contexts with attractive international collaborations and a qualification program tailored to the needs of graduate students.

Located at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics and supported by Germany’s Excellence Initiative, BIGS-M  is home to all of the University’s doctoral candidates in mathematics and contributes to Bonn’s excellent international reputation in the field.

BGSE offers a structured program that is tailored to the needs of doctoral candidates, including an internationally recognized research network.

Supported by Germany’s Excellence Initiative and jointly administered by the renowned Physics Institutes at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, BCGS  offers doctoral studies through an integrated honors program.

Home to an international community of talented biomedical scientists, BIGS DrugS 6 6 is the hub for doctoral candidates from pharma research institutes within the University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine.

BIGS-OAS offers a wide range of courses within a research context, focused on the cultures and societies of Asia and Asia Minor.

BIGS Neuroscience provides a top-level, internationally competitive program in this rapidly growing field.

BIGS CPS's interdisciplinary approach combines medical, agricultural and pharmaceutical research.

BIGS Chemistry 10 doctoral candidates enjoy an exceptional and ambitious program covering all fields of chemistry.

This three-year doctoral program  is offered in conjunction with the University’s ImmunoSensation Cluster, which is funded by Germany’s Excellence Initiative.

Part of the University of Bonn’s Center for Development Research, BIGS-DR   trains students for an international career in development cooperation, policy or research through a combination of academic study and intensive tutorship.

The BIGS Land and Food combines the research at the agricultural Faculty with an interdisciplinary study program.

BIGS-LIMES offers a graduate program for doctoral students in Bonn specializing in biochemistry, life sciences and biomedicine.

Clusters of Excellence stand for international and interdisciplinary elite research and offer young scientists excellent funding and career conditions. The University of Bonn currently has six clusters of excellence, more than any other university in Germany, and thus opens up a broad spectrum of possible research topics to doctoral candidates. Here you will find an overview of the university's clusters of excellence.

PhD Programs within our Excellence Cluster

The goal of the Hausdorff Center of Mathematics is to identify and address mathematical challenges of the 21st century, to advance groundbreaking fundamental mathematical research worldwide, and to develop the mathematical methods and tools required by science and society.

Part of the Hausdorff Center is also a graduate school: The Bonn International Graduate School of Mathematics (BIGS-M) hosts all doctoral students of mathematics and contributes to the outstanding international reputation of the university in this field. The duration of the program is usually 3 years, and the doctorate (Dr. rer nat.) can be earned as a degree.

More information: https://www.bigs-math.uni-bonn.de/de/studies/ 14 15 15

ImmunoSensation2 aims to continue the success story of the existing ImmunoSensation cluster. While the emphasis so far has been on fundamental research in particular of the innate immune system, now the mechanisms of immune intelligence are to be uncovered, i.e. the question of how the body succeeds in adapting immune responses to specific situations and then remembers this in order to be optimally prepared for similar challenges in the future. The cluster's graduate school, the Bonn International Graduate School Immunosciences and Infection offers a structured, three-year doctoral program.

You can find further information about this program here: 

https://www.immunosensation.de/opportunities/young-scientists

Until today, dependency studies has almost exclusively dealt with slavery on the American continent or in antiquity. The Cluster of Excellence "Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS)" aims to broaden this perspective in terms of content, space and time. Within the framework of the cluster, a structured doctoral program with a duration of 4 years is offered.

Further information can be found at:  https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en 15 16

Over the last few decades, computer hardware has become smaller and smaller, but their technology remains more or less the same. Slowly, this development is reaching its limits.Thus, we need new technologies that satisfy our growing hunger for even more powerful hardware.

Quantum physics could be a solution.

Together with the University of Cologne and the RWTH Aachen, Bonn researchers want to work on making this new technology usable. To achieve this, quantum bits or even qubits - the quantum counterpart to our previous bits - quantum communication channels that build networks and error correction methods have to be explored from the ground up. As part of the Excellence Initiative, the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy (BCGS) offers a doctoral program with an integrated honors program.

Further information can be found at:  http://www.gradschool.physics.uni-bonn.de/. 4 4

The ECONtribute researches the functioning of markets as well as reasons for their failure. In doing so, the cluster goes beyond traditional analyses by systematically combining model-based theoretical approaches and behavioral explanatory models while incorporating legal and political frameworks. Within the cluster, the Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) offers doctoral students a tailored structured doctoral program that includes an internationally recognized research network.

Further information can be found at:  https://www.bgse.uni-bonn.de. 3 3

Increasing agricultural production despite limited land while reducing the ecological footprint of agriculture - this is one of the challenges of our time. For this reason, the University of Bonn and Forschungszentrum Jülich are jointly developing methods and new technologies to observe, analyze, better understand and more specifically treat plants. The cluster's graduate school, the Theodor Brinkmann Graduate School, offers an interdisciplinary study program to master's students and doctoral candidates at the Faculty of Agriculture.

More information: https://www.phenorob.de/ .

The Third-Party Funded Programs at the University of Bonn offer structured doctoral studies on selected research topics. They enable close networking among doctoral students conducting research on related topics.

Bonn International Graduate School of Mathematics (BIGS-M) 2 17 18 18 Located at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics, BIGS-M provides an umbrella for all Bonn PhD students in mathematics. Thus, the BIGS-M contributes to the excellent national and international reputation of mathematics at Bonn.

Bonn International Graduate School Immunosciences and Infection The BIGS Immunosciences and Infection is a structured 3-year PhD program in conjunction with the ImmunoSensation Cluster/Bonn. The ImmunoSensation Cluster is part of the Excellence Strategy.

DFG Research Training Group "Gegenwart/Literatur. Geschichte, Theorie und Praxeologie eines Verhältnisses" (GRK 2291) [only in German] The Research Training group supported by the DFG  aims at the exploration and analysis of the constitutive dimensions of the concept of contemporary literature.  

DFG international Research Training Group "Myeloid antigen presenting cells and the induction of adaptive immunity" GRK (2168) 19 19 19 19 The DFG-funded project is a cooperation of the University of Bonn and the University of Melbourne. The principal research focus is the intersection between innate and adaptive immunity in the context of infection.

DFG Research Training Group "Template-designed Organic Electronics (TIDE)" (GRK 2591) 21 21 21 The Graduate Program 'Template-Designed Optoelectronic Devices' (TIDE) aims to provide comprehensive doctoral education in the field of Organic Electronics (OE) to meet the requirements of highly qualified and multidisciplinary professionals. 

DFG Research Training Group "Tools and Drugs of the Future - Innovative Methods and New Modalities in Medicinal Chemistry" (GRK 2873) The goal of the RTG " Tools and Drugs of the Future" is to modernize medicinal chemistry and train a new generation of medicinal chemists and researchers at the interface with interconnected disciplines. In addition, the projects are intended to contribute to the development of new drug substances.

Integrated Research Training Group at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Synaptic Micronetworks in Health and Disease" (SFB 1089) 22 22 27 27 Located at the newly inaugurated SFB 1089 on neuronal networks, the Integrated Research Training Group offers a structured graduate program for all doctoral researchers at the Centre.

Integrated Research Training Group at theDFG Collaborative Research Centre "Future Rural Africa" (SFB/TRR 228) The integrated research group is investigating the relationship between land use change and shaping the future in rural Africa in a total of 14 subprojects.

Integrated Research Training Group at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Open System Control of Atomic and Photonic Matter" (SFB/TRR 185) 24 The collaborative research centre Oscar will explore the physics of open systems.

Integrated Research Training Group at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Aortic Diseases" (SFB/TRR 259) 25 The aim of this research initiative is to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of resident and non-resident cells in aortic diseases.

Integrated Research Training Group at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Regional Climate Change: Disentangling the Role of Land Use and Water Management" (SFB 1502) The SFB combines the strengths of the University of Bonn and its project partners to answer one of the most difficult questions in understanding climate change.

Integrated Research Training Group at the DFG Collaborative Research Centre "Brown and Beige Fat - Organ Crosstalk, Signaling and Energetics (BATenergy)" (SFB/TRR 333) The CRC investigates metabolism/diabetes and focusses on brown adipose tissue. 

One Health and Urban Transformation

The NRW Forschungskolleg One Health and Urban Transformation is a transdisciplinary graduate school that aims to find interventions to achieve optimal health for humans, animals, plants and the environment with a special focus on developments in NRW, Saõ Paulo, Accra and Ahmedabad.

International Max Planck Research School Moduli Spaces 27 27 In cooperation with the University of Bonn, the renowned Bonn Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics offers a PhD program with a special focus on the study of moduli.

International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy and Astrophysics 28 28 In cooperation between the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the Universities of Bonn and of Cologne, the Research School facilitates 3 years of PhD studies with a curriculum tailored to the individual student.

International Max Planck Research School for Brain and Behavior 29 The IMPRS for Brain & Behavior is a cooperation between the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn

International Max Planck Research School - Recharge IMPRS-RECHARGE focuses on interdisciplinary research between chemistry and physics with an emphasis on catalytic mechanisms, physical-chemical analysis and energy topics. Scientific challenges shall be looked at from different angles. Furthermore the combination of theory and practice is a vital aim of the IMPRS-RECHARGE.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network "Macro and Microplastic in Agricultural Soil Systems“ (SOPLAS) The SOPLAS project will assemble a multidisciplinary team to study the nexus of plastic–agriculture–soil. It will also train a new generation of leading experts. The project aims to identify the plastic cycle within agricultural soil systems and support the development of environmental policies related to mitigating the impact of plastics. The findings will advance our knowledge about the sustainable use of plastics in European agriculture.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network "Early Stage Researchers EDUCational Program on Factor VIII Immunogenicity“ (EDUC8 ) 32 37 The EDUC8 program is a multidisciplinary training program with exposure of the enrolled ESRs to a core common educational package and development of individual PhD researchprojects dedicated to decreasing the societal burden associated with the development of anti-FVIII antibodies in Europe.

Tools4Teams - "Research Training to Design and Implement Tools Supporting Safe Teamwork in Healthcare"

The Tools4Teams research project will prepare the next generation of teamwork experts to contribute new insights and smart technologies for safe and effective care. Tools4Teams brings together expertise from social and technical sciences, human-centered design, education, and clinical specialties.

Trinational Graduate College "Mass and Integration in Antique Societies" [in German/French] Supported by the Deutsch-Französische Hochschule since 2011, the tri-national Graduate School in Ancient History offers curriculum events in Bonn, Berne, and Strasbourg.

Structured Doctoral Programs by Discipline

Find the right structured doctoral program at the University of Bonn in your discipline here:

• Cross-Disciplinary Options
• Medicine and Life Sciences
• Mathematics and Natural Sciences
• Agriculture

Faculties at the University of Bonn work together to design interdisciplinary programs that combine key perspectives and offer unique insights.

Cross-Disciplinary Programs

Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) 42 Unique in Europe, BIGS-DR links perspectives from the Faculties of Philosophy, Agriculture, and Law and Economics – with an international focus.

Bonn International Graduate School of Neuroscience (BIGS Neuroscience) 8 8 A collaboration between the University’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, as well as external partners, BIGS Neuroscience offers a medical program alongside five research areas in medicine.

SciMed Doctoral College 43 42 The Doctoral College offers scientific training for students in medicine and dental medicine, leading to a dual Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. degree.

Researchers at the University of Bonn explore a wide variety of issues in economics, including game theory, applied microeconomics, monetary and international macroeconomics, contract theory, labor economics and finance.

Economics Programs

Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) BGSE offers a structured program that is tailored to the needs of doctoral candidates, including an internationally recognized research network.

Law Programs

Graduate School of Law and Political Science Department of Law The Graduate School of the Faculty of Law and Political Science was founded in the summer semester of 2018 and supports the doctoral students in preparing their doctoral studies.

The University of Bonn’s Faculty of Medicine offers doctoral programs in medical biochemistry, neurosciences and pharmacology. With the exception of the SciMed Doctoral College, all programs are administered in cooperation with the University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Cross-Disciplinary Program

SciMed Doctoral College The Doctoral College offers scientific training for students in medicine and dental medicine, leading to a dual Dr. med. and Dr. med. dent. degree.

Neuroscience

Bonn International Graduate School of Neuroscience (BIGS Neuroscience) BIGS Neuroscience provides a top-level, internationally competitive program in this rapidly growing field.

Synaptic Micronetworks in Health and Disease (SFB 1089) Supported by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG) collaborative research centers, this integrated research training group works to identify fundamental rules that govern neuronal behavior at the network level and translate network dynamics to mammalian and human behavior.

International Max Planck Research School for Brain and Behavior A joint venture of the University of Bonn, the Max-Planck-associated Center of Advanced European Studies and Research, the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, and Florida Atlantic University, this graduate school offers a complete doctoral and research program in the neurosciences.

Pharma Research

Bonn International Graduate School of Drug Sciences (BIGS DrugS) Home to an international community of talented biomedical scientists, BIGS DrugS is the hub for doctoral candidates from pharma research institutes within the University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine.

Bonn International Graduate School of Immunosciences and Infection

This three-year doctoral program is offered in conjunction with the University's ImmunoSensation Cluster , which is funded by Germany’s Excellence Initiative.

DFG Research Training Group "Myeloid antigen presenting cells and the induction of adaptive immunity" GRK (2168) The DFG-funded project is a cooperation of the University of Bonn and the University of Melbourne.

At the University of Bonn’s Faculty of Arts, you’ll find a highly international environment with students and researchers in a wide range of fields.

German Studies, Comparative Literature and Culture 

Structured Doctoral Program in German Studies (SPP) [website in German] Taught in German, the SPP supports doctoral candidates’ initiatives within the Institute for German, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies.

German-Italian Doctoral College [website in German] Taught in German, this three-year grant program provides structured doctoral studies for researchers in German and Italian, with time in both Bonn and Florence.

History and Ancient History 

Mass and Integration in Antique Societies [website in German and French] Supported by Franco-German University and taught in German and French, this trinational doctoral program includes study in Bonn; Berne, Switzerland; and Strasbourg, France.

Oriental and Asian Studies Bonn

International Graduate School of Oriental and Asian Studies (BIGS-OAS) BIGS-OAS offers a wide range of courses within a research context, focused on the cultures and societies of Asia and Asia Minor.

Romance Studies

Italian Studies [website in German and Italian] Offered in cooperation with the Universities of Florence and Paris-Sorbonne IV, this trinational doctoral program is taught in German and Italian.

Structured DPhil program at the Faculty of Arts The program supports qualified doctoral candidates from all disciplines in their doctoral projects. It provides the opportunity for networking, interdisciplinary exchange in diverse social sciences and humanities subjects, progress monitoring and financial support for travel, workshops or research funding as part of the doctorate.

European Founding Myths in Literature, Arts and Music [website in German, French and Italian] This trinational program is jointly organized by the Universities of Bonn, Florence and Paris-Sorbonne IV and taught in German, French and Italian.

Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) Part of the University of Bonn’s Center for Development Research, BIGS-DR trains students for an international career in development cooperation, policy or research through a combination of academic study and intensive tutorship.

The University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences offers numerous externally funded doctoral programs in areas including mathematics and informatics, physics, biology, pharmacology and molecular biomedicine.

Programs in neuroscience, pharma research, immunoscience, and infection and molecular biomedicine are offered in cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine.

Mathematics

Bonn International Graduate School of Mathematics (BIGS-M) 2 2 Located at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics, BIGS-M is home to all of the University’s doctoral candidates in mathematics and contributes to Bonn’s excellent international reputation in the field.

International Max Planck Research School on Moduli Spaces 53 53 This program includes courses, seminars and activities focused on the geometric spaces whose points represent fixed algebro-geometric objects (or isomorphism classes of such objects).

Physics und Astronomy

Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy (BCGS) 4 4 Supported by Germany’s Excellence Initiative and jointly administered by the renowned Physics Institutes at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, BCGS offers doctoral studies through an integrated honors program.

International Max Planck Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics 55 55 This program offers a broad spectrum of topics in observational and theoretical galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, observational and theoretical cosmology, and fundamental physics – using astronomical tools and instrumentation.

Leibniz Graduate School on Genomic Biodiversity Research Based at Bonn’s Alexander Koenig Research Museum, this school is focused primarily on insect genome evolution.

Bonn International Graduate School of Chemistry (BIGS Chemistry) 57 57 BIGS Chemistry offers an internationally competitive doctoral program and opportunities to perform cutting-edge research.

Neurosciences

Bonn International Graduate School of Neuroscience (BIGS Neuroscience) 8 8 BIGS Neuroscience provides a top-level, internationally competitive program in this rapidly growing field.

Synaptic Micronetworks in Health and Disease (SFB 1089) 22 22 Supported by DFG collaborative research centers, this integrated research training group works to identify fundamental rules that govern neuronal behavior at the network level and translate network dynamics to mammalian and human behavior.

International Max Planck Research School for Brain and Behavior 29 29 The IMPRS for Brain & Behavior is a cooperation between the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn.

Bonn International Graduate School of Drug Sciences (BIGS DrugS) 6 6 Home to an international community of talented biomedical scientists, BIGS DrugS is the hub for doctoral candidates from pharma research institutes within the University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine.

BIGS Immunoscience and Infection A structured, three-year doctoral program, IITB is offered in conjunction with the ImmunoSensation Cluster at the University of Bonn.

Doctoral candidates in the field of agriculture may choose to study through the Faculty of Agriculture’s Theodor Brinkmann Graduate School or earn their degree through the University of Bonn’s Center for Development Research.

Agriculture Programs

Bonn International Graduate School for Land and Food (BIGS Land and Food)  Founded in 2008, the Brinkmann School is home to master's and doctoral candidates in the Faculty of Agriculture, combining research with an interdisciplinary study program.

Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) 12 Part of the University of Bonn’s Center for Development Research 59 , BIGS-DR trains researchers for an international career in development cooperation, policy or research through a combination of academic study and intensive tutorship.

Dr. Robert Radu

[email protected]

+49 228 73-60222

Poppelsdorfer Allee 47

Office Hours

Questions about the structured doctorate? Register for the (virtual) office hours and get advice:

• Tuesday 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.

Additional Qualification: Doctorate plus

Expand your skills with our training program Doctorate plus.

Learn about the numerous funding opportunities and grants for doctoral students.

Events and Opportunities

Find out what's new and see upcoming events.

We have 15 Medicine PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Germany

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Medicine PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in Germany

Doctoral research associate (eu-forscher*in. salary level e 13 tv-l, 100%), phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

PhD positions at the International Max Planck Research School for Living Matter

Funded phd programme (students worldwide).

Some or all of the PhD opportunities in this programme have funding attached. Applications for this programme are welcome from suitably qualified candidates worldwide. Funding may only be available to a limited set of nationalities and you should read the full programme details for further information.

Germany PhD Programme

A German PhD usually takes 3-4 years. Traditional programmes focus on independent research, but more structured PhDs involve additional training units (worth 180-240 ECTS credits) as well as placement opportunities. Both options require you to produce a thesis and present it for examination. Many programmes are delivered in English.

Max Planck Research Programme

Max Planck Research Programmes are structured PhD opportunities set up by the Max Planck Society, an independent non-profit German research organisation. Max Planck Institutes and universities collaborate to offer interdisciplinary and international PhD opportunities providing high standards of training and support as well as generous funding.

12 fully funded Ph.D. positions at the Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research

Phd positions in life science and biomedicine research groups supported by a structured phd program, phd candidate - origin of obesity and metabolic disorders in childhood (f/m/x), fully funded (and no tuition) phd program in psychiatric, translational research and basic neuroscience with the option for a residency track for medical doctors., phd position in antiviral immunity and vaccinology (m/f/d), 10+ fully funded phd positions at the imprs for molecular organ biology, phd students (f/m/d) for super-resolution microscopy-based investigations of the glycocalyx, 5 fully funded phd positions in biology, biochemistry, life science, chemistry, medicine, computer science or related fields, phd studentship opportunities in the overall field of cognition research, doctoral (phd) positions at international max planck research school - biological intelligence, phd student positions at international max planck research school for molecules of life, munich, open call for 12 phd positions in msca doctoral network “miccrobiotackle”, funded phd programme (european/uk students only).

Some or all of the PhD opportunities in this programme have funding attached. It is available to citizens of a number of European countries (including the UK). In most cases this will include all EU nationals. However full funding may not be available to all applicants and you should read the full programme details for further information.

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A doctorate is the highest academic degree that a university can award. In Germany, studying for a doctorate primarily means  working intensely on a specific subject or research project  for a long period of time. It typically takes five to six years to obtain a doctorate, though the length of time can vary.

How to obtain a PhD in Germany

If you decide to do a doctorate, you can choose between different forms of study. Depending on your discipline, research area, personal circumstances and formal qualifications, there are two different paths:

• Individual doctorate The individual doctorate is based on independent research carried out alone under the supervision of one professor. This is the traditional path followed by over three quarters of all doctoral students in Germany.
• Structured PhD programmes These programmes offer a form of study similar to that found in English-speaking countries. You will be supervised by a team and will attend courses, lectures and seminars together with other doctoral students. Normally, such programmes are publicly advertised and often feature grants or paid doctoral positions.

Individual doctorate

DAAD/Jan Zappner

The "traditional" or "individual" path to a PhD remains the  most common in Germany. An individual doctorate involves a thesis or dissertation that is produced under the  supervision of one professor .

This form of PhD study offers a great deal of  flexibility , but also demands a  high degree of personal initiative and responsibility . A professor supervises a PhD student, who works on his or her subject in consultation with the professor, but  largely independently .

How long a traditional individual doctorate takes depends on your own time schedule – or on the duration of your work contract. On average, you can expect it to take five to six years . Although a university is normally responsible for the doctoral process, you can also carry out your research at other institutions.

Depending on your subject, research area and interests, you can choose whether to work on a research project and your PhD at a university or non-university research institute – or indeed in industry. However, no matter where you conduct your research, a professor will always supervise your PhD.

You can obtain a doctorate by pursuing research:

• at a university
• at a non-university research institute or
• in a German company

PhD at a university

The "typical" PhD student in Germany works – usually part-time – as a  research associate  at his or her university. Although research is generally part of the job description, most of the associate’s own doctoral research usually has to be carried out outside working hours. How closely teaching, research and/or administrative duties are actually tied into the doctoral student’s own research depends very much on the individual situation.

PhD at a non-university research institute

Non-university research establishments – such as the  Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft ,  Helmholtz Association ,  Leibniz Association  and  Max Planck Society  – offer an excellent research environment in which to conduct your research. These institutions do not have the right to award doctorates themselves, but collaborate with universities for that purpose. They offer PhD students  scholarships and/or (usually fixed-term) contracts of employment  – or a combination of the two. However, support is also possible in the form of regular research posts, which are especially typical of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Max Planck Society.

PhD in industry

Graduates who decide to work in industry and study for a doctorate part-time – often with funding and support from their employer – also need a university professor to supervise their research. In some cases, the employer will already be collaborating with a university or research institute and can help the PhD student find the right supervisor.

People who have PhD research posts within a company usually have part-time temporary contracts and work on a research project that allows them to pursue their doctoral research under the supervision of a professor. When a university and an industrial company collaborate in specially established institutes, doctoral researchers usually work on their projects with their professor and a supervisor from the company.

More information:

Find your individual doctorate 

The traditional individual path to a doctorate remains the most common in Germany. In this case, the doctoral student works for the most part independently on their thesis, though in consultation with their supervising professor.

Structured PhD programmes

DAAD/Volker Lannert

Structured doctoral programmes often have a  strong international orientation  with English as the team language. Unlike the individual doctorate model that can be freely structured to suit the individual research project, here doctoral students and their research proposals have to fit in with an existing PhD programme.

The doctorate frequently entails a  clearly structured doctoral study   programme  with compulsory attendance at lectures or seminars and interim assessment (credit points). The programme frequently also covers  academic and scientific methods or soft skills , such as presentation techniques.

As a rule, PhD Students work steadily at realising their research project within the team and with intensive  support from a group of academic staff  (often referred to as the “thesis committee”).

The duration of your studies is generally   limited to three to five years, and there is usually a fixed curriculum within which you work toward your doctorate and write your thesis.

Find your structured PhD programme

Though no database containing all structured PhD programmes in Germany is available yet, we can point you in the direction of databases that will help you find what you are looking for nonetheless, where to obtain information about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

Check out our brochure:

Doing a phd in germany (2019, 40 pages).

This booklet for (prospective) international doctoral students presents the different options for doing a doctorate in Germany. It explains the formal requirements and gives some practical advice on finding the right supervisor or doctoral programme. It also outlines different sponsorship and funding options.

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Found 28 jobs

13 phd positions at heidelberg university.

• Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE) and Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg (DE)
• Attractive remuneration
• Medical Faculties Mannheim & Heidelberg and DKFZ, Germany

GRK2727/1 – InCheck Innate Immune Checkpoints in Cancer and Tissue Damage

View details 13 PhD Positions at Heidelberg University

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ATLAS - Joint PhD Program from BioNTech and TRON with a focus on translational medicine 

• Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz (DE)
• Fully funded PhD positions
• Translational Oncology (TRON) Mainz

5 PhD positions for ATLAS, the joint PhD Program from BioNTech and TRON with a focus on translational medicine.

View details ATLAS - Joint PhD Program from BioNTech and TRON with a focus on translational medicine 

• 12 days ago
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Scientist / Postdoc (m/f/d): Analysis of Microscopic BIOMedical Images (AMBIOM)

• Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)
• Competitive
• Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V.

A new project area in the institute is the development of artificial intelligence (AI)

View details Scientist / Postdoc (m/f/d): Analysis of Microscopic BIOMedical Images (AMBIOM)

• 17 days ago
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PhD Candidate (m/f/d): Analysis of Microscopic BIOMedical Images (AMBIOM)

View details PhD Candidate (m/f/d): Analysis of Microscopic BIOMedical Images (AMBIOM)

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PhD in Theoretical (Bio-)Physics: Physics & chemistry in plant adaptation

• Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)
• 65% TV-L E13 public tariff level
• Heinrich Heine University - CCB

PhD in Theoretical (Bio-)Physics: Physics & chemistry in plant adaptation Join the pioneering team at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf as we em...

View details PhD in Theoretical (Bio-)Physics: Physics & chemistry in plant adaptation

• 30 days ago
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Senior Integrated Assessment Modeling Scientist (m/f/d)

• Potsdam, Brandenburg (DE)
• salary group E 13
• Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V. (PIK)

The focus of your work will be the coordination of the synthesis modelling work in a newly acquired EU Horizon Project (NEWPATHWAYS).

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Researcher for Finance Scenario Development (m/f/d)

The focus of your work will be the project “Setting the Standard for actionable Climate Risk Assessments“ (NGFS project).

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PhD student and Postdoc in Molecular Oncology

• Würzburg (Stadt), Bayern (DE)
• a competitive salary (TV-L E13)
• University of Würzburg - research group of Dr. Dimitrios Papadopoulos

We are looking for candidates with an outstanding background in Life sciences to fill: PhD student and Postdoc positions (f/m/d)

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PhD Student (gn) Epidemiology

• Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)
• Salary according to TV-L E13
• University Hospital of Muenster (UKM), WWU

Job Id:  9654 (*gn=gender neutral) The Clinical Epidemiology Unit at the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine of the University of Münster...

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PhD Student (d/f/m) Exploring and translating long-term immobility induced thromboprotection

• 12203, Berlin (DE)
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PhD Student (d/f/m) Exploring and translating long-term immobility induced thromboprotection: from bears to human   Specialty Cardiology, Angiology...

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Postdoctoral Scientist in Radiopharmaceutical Development – Radiochemist / Radiopharmacist

• Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE)
• German Cancer Research Center in the Helmholtz Association (DKFZ)

The ideal candidate is expected to pursue a highly innovative project at the frontiers of interdisciplinary cancer research.

View details Postdoctoral Scientist in Radiopharmaceutical Development – Radiochemist / Radiopharmacist

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Postdoc Position (m/f/d) - Institute für Molecular and Clinical Immunology

• 39120, Magdeburg (DE)
• Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg Medizinische Fakultät

The INSTITUTE FOR MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, OTTO-VON-GUERICKE UNIVERSITY MAGDEBURG, Research Group IMMUNREGULATION (Prof. Dr. Anne Dudeck)...

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PhD in Biomedical Data Sciences for studying the role of TP53 mutants in cancer progression

• Konstanz (Stadt), Baden-Württemberg (DE)
• part-time 75 %, E 13 TV-L
• Universität Konstanz

Reference number 2024/194. The start date is as early as possible / by agreement.

View details PhD in Biomedical Data Sciences for studying the role of TP53 mutants in cancer progression

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PhD student (f/m/d) Molecular Cell Biology / Virology Göttingen and Bordeaux

• 37075, Göttingen (DE)
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PhD position in Biomedical Data Sciences & Bioinformatics for studying human health and disease

Reference number 2024/188. The start date is as early as possible / November 1st, 2024 (or by agreement)

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PhD Student (gn) Analytical Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics

The Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster, Germany is offering a position limited to 3 years.

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Head of an independent Junior Research Group for Immunotherapy at NCT WERA

• Remuneration according to TV-L incl. occupational pension plan and capital-forming payments

We are looking for a creative and highly collaborative Junior Research Group Leader to head an independent junior research group.

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PhD students in microbiology

• Jena, Thüringen (DE)
• Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU)

We are looking for candidates interested in host-phage interactions, single cell transcriptomics & organ-on-chip models to study microbial infections

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14 PhD Positions in the Doctoral Research Program RTG 2740 ImmunoMicroTope (f/m/x)

• Erlangen, Bayern (DE)
• according to the qualifications and personal requirements as defined by E 13 TV-L
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14 PhD Positions in the Doctoral Research Program RTG 2740 “ImmunoMicroTope” (f/m/x)

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12 fully funded PhD positions

• Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)
• Universität zu Köln

The Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research (CGA) in Germany is a joint venture of the University of Cologne Excellence Cluster on Stress Respon...

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MS & Certificate Program Details

• FAQs: Master of Science & Certificate Programs
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• Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program of Study

UNC Wilmington’s Clinical Research graduate programs provide a didactic and rigorous curriculum in a flexible, online format designed for working professionals.

Whether you're new to clinical research seeking foundational knowledge and skills or you're already working in the field, our graduates are prepared for mid- to upper-level roles in the biopharmaceutical clinical research industry.

Master of Science in Clinical Research & Product Development

This fully-online program is perfect for professionals already working in the clinical research industry who wish to further their careers. Our didactic and rigorous curriculum prepares graduates for mid-to upper-level roles in the biopharmaceutical clinical research industry. 

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Clinical Research Operations

This certificate program is ideal for individuals with a bachelor's degree who are interested in either entering the clinical research field or obtaining additional education to facilitate a move into a different area within the clinical research field including career progression.

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• Admissions Process
• Tuition & Fees
• Student Handbook  (PDF*)
• Course Requirements and Descriptions (UNCW Catalogue)
• Program Outcomes  (UNCW Catalogue)
• Program of Study
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M.S., Clinical Research and Product Development

• Programs of Study

Student Organizations

• Graduate Student Association
• Student Association of Clinical Research

Professional Organizations

• The Association of Clinical Research Professionals
• Drug Information Association
• Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA)
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS)

Important Resources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• European Medicines Agency (EMA)
• International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)
• ICH GCP Efficacy Guidelines
• FDA Guidance, Compliance & Regulatory Information
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• ClincalTrials.gov
• Getting Started in Clinical Research
• Standardized Job Profiles
• NC Biotech Center’s CRO Conversations
• Clinical Research Career | WRAL TechWire
• Careers in Clinical Research
• ACRP Career Center
• ACRP ‘Ready, Set, Clinical Research!’™ Workforce Toolkit
• Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency
• NC Coast Clinical Research Initiative: Industry Information
• CHHS Center for Clinical Research Workforce Development

Student Experience

• All courses are online. Students may pursue the degree from any location. Flexible for working professionals.
• Learn from faculty who have extensive research and industry experience, including clinical operations, monitoring, research ethics, project management, pharmacotherapeutics, regulatory affairs, medical writing, biostatistics, drug safety and pharmacoepidemiology.

Career Opportunities

Most graduates work for biopharmaceutical companies; contract research organizations (e.g., PPD/Thermo Fisher, Syneos Health, IQVIA, Fortrea, ICON, etc.); clinical research service providers or clinical sites enrolling clinical trial subjects; academic medical centers; government agencies; and other associated organizations.

Graduates are involved in:

• Clinical trials necessary to move new drugs, biologics and biomedical devices through the regulatory process to obtain regulatory approval;
• Post-marketing studies required for drug safety and used for label/market expansion. 

If you are interested in being contacted by a faculty member to learn more about Clinical Research, please complete this form  so we can follow up!

Contact the Graduate Clinical Research Program

Jared Kerr, JD, MPH | Program Coordinator & Clinical Associate Professor

Phone: (910) 962-7404

[email protected]

School of Nursing

For questions regarding the actual Graduate School application, please contact [email protected] .  

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Germany’s reputation as an outstanding research destination continues to attract the world’s finest minds. In 2014 an incredible Number of 85,000 people chose Germany to write their dissertations or join one of our growing number of doctoral research teams. Discover your best route to a PhD in Germany, including financing options and advice on how to prepare for your research stay.

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Overcoming Failures: Lessons From IPF Clinical Trials in the Past Year

Luca Richeldi, MD, PhD, outlined crucial lessons from recent idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) trial failures, advocating for adaptive trial designs, rigorous statistical methods, and a focus on patient-relevant outcomes to enhance future research.

Luca Richeldi, MD, PhD, professor of respiratory disease at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, presented a thought-provoking analysis on the failures of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) clinical trials during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2024 . 1 His insights provide crucial lessons for the future of IPF research, emphasizing the need to learn from past setbacks to improve future trial designs.

Richeldi began by addressing a fundamental question: "Do we know if a negative randomized controlled trial is always a failure?"

Richeldi emphasized the need to learn from past setbacks to improve future clinical trial designs in IPF | Image credit: photon_photo – stock.adobe.com

He noted that not all negative trials are without merit, citing a landmark 2012 study that, despite its initial negative results, had a profound impact on clinical practice and has since been cited over 1300 times. 2

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in phase 2 and phase 3 trials for IPF, with more than 8500 patients enrolled overall. 1 However, there were 3 major phase 3 trials published in the past year that encountered challenges, offering valuable lessons in Richeldi’s eyes: the ziritaxestat, zinpentraxin alfa, and pamrevlumab studies. 3-5

The phase 2 trial of ziritaxestat included 23 patients with just 12 weeks of treatment, demonstrating statistically significant improvements in forced vital capacity (FVC). 3 However, in the phase 3 trial involving 1300 patients over 52 weeks, the study was terminated early due to a lack of efficacy and a signal of harm, specifically increased mortality. Phase 2 results also appeared encouraging forzinpentraxin alfa, demonstrating significantly slowed disease progression. 4 However, phase 3 results again failed to replicate these findings as the patient cohort multiplied by 6 and the study period extended to 52 weeks.

Third time’s a charm, right? Once again, monoclonal antibody pamrevlumab showed a statistically significant reduction in FVC in a phase 2 trial with less than 400 patients, but failed to produce similar results in a larger phase 3 trial, partly due to the concurrent use of antifibrotic therapies, which was not permitted in phase 2. 5

So, what do these studies have in common?

First, the small sample sizes in phase 2 trials. 1 Having a smaller cohort can lead to overestimations of efficacy and does not always translate well to larger phase 3 studies. The short study duration in phase 2 can also fail to capture the long-term effects of treatments, again leading to optimistic results that may not hold up in longer-term studies.

As seen with the pamrevlumab trials, the presence of outliers can skew results, particularly if not adequately accounted for in the statistical analysis. Richeldi highlighted the challenge of distinguishing between true biological phenomena and statistical anomalies. Additionally, the use of concurrent therapies in phase 3 trials that were not present in phase 2 can confound results.

To address these issues, Richeldi proposed 3 key strategies to improve future trial design and execution. He advocated for adaptive trial designs that incorporate interim analyses and allow for adjustments based on emerging data. This approach can help identify issues early and adapt the study protocol accordingly. He also recommended adopting more rigorous statistical methods to handle outliers and missing data. This includes sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of removing outliers and better imputation methods for missing data.

Finally, he highlighted the importance of focusing on patient-relevant outcomes, such as quality of life and survival, rather than solely relying on FVC changes. Of the 12 active and recruiting phase 2 studies on IPF he mentioned, only 2 of them had cough as a primary end point rather than FVC. According to Richeldi, this shift could provide a more comprehensive understanding of a treatment’s impact on patients’ quality of life.

“I think that we can do better,” Richeldi closed with optimism. “We did a lot, and hopefully we'll be learning from our mistakes and will do better in the future.”

• Richeldi L. Failed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis trials: lessons learned. ERS Congress 2024 webinar. Presented September 8, 2024. https://live.ersnet.org/programme/session/92637
• Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network, Raghu G, Anstrom KJ, King TE Jr, Lasky JA, Martinez FJ. Prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine for pulmonary fibrosis.  N Engl J Med . 2012;366(21):1968-1977. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1113354
• Maher TM, Ford P, Brown KK, et al. Ziritaxestat, a novel autotaxin inhibitor, and lung function in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the ISABELA 1 and 2 randomized clinical trials.  JAMA . 2023;329(18):1567-1578. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.5355
• Richeldi L, Schiffman C, Behr J, et al. Zinpentraxin alfa for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the randomized phase III STARSCAPE trial.  Am J Respir Crit Care Med . 2024;209(9):1132-1140. doi:10.1164/rccm.202401-0116OC
• Raghu G, Richeldi L, Fernández Pérez ER, et al. Pamrevlumab for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: the ZEPHYRUS-1 randomized clinical trial.  JAMA . 2024;332(5):380-389. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.8693

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Amy Abernethy teams with former Verily exec to improve data-driven clinical research

Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., left Verily earlier this year as its chief medical officer and has now teamed up with a long-time colleague to launch an initiative that takes a new approach to modernizing clinical research.

Abernethy and another former Verily executive Brad Hirsch, M.D. have launched Highlander Health to optimize clinical trials, the industry veterans announced today. The aim is to integrate research more seamlessly into day-to-day care to improve treatments and enable individualized patient care.

Highlander Health's work will focus on a combination of supporting learning labs, investing millions into tech startups and philanthropy.

Advancing the use of patient data and real-world evidence to drive medical innovation has long been a focus for Abernethy, whose résumé boasts decades of research-related experience in a variety of regulatory, commercial and clinical roles. Served as principal deputy commissioner and acting chief information officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before joining Alphabet's healthcare spinout in 2021 . She also was an executive at Flatiron Health and an oncology researcher at Duke University.

Abernethy and Hirsch previously worked together at Flatiron Health, where Hirsch was senior medical director, and at Duke Clinical Research Institute. Hirsch also was the founder and CEO of SignalPath, a clinical trials technology solution that Verily acquired in 2021 .

"Brad and I have really been talking about the need for an organization like Highlander Health for all the years that we've been working together. This is now our fourth job together, and Highlander Health is really the next step," Abernethy said in an interview with Fierce Healthcare. "As we've been working across the years, we've talked about the importance of really focusing on how to streamline and accelerate clinical evidence generation, so clinical trials, real-world data and remote evidence, in order to make it more efficient and less burdensome to conduct clinical research and be able to know that products are adequately safe and effective. We've also been very focused on how does the healthcare delivery system ensure personalized healthcare for all? And the way that we've organized Highlander Health is really intended to address how those pieces come together."

Hirsch added, "I think that we would all say that the clinical research system as it exists today is both antiquated and not meeting the needs. It's not positioned for the capacity constraints that are coming as more and more cell and gene therapies and other things hit the market. The biggest pain point we're trying to address is, how do we both accelerate the clinical research opportunities that exist to get the answers we need without minimizing the quality or taking any shortcuts for traditional drug development and what the biotech world needs, while also meeting the need of clinicians every day who also don't have enough evidence to say maybe a drug was approved in a controlled phase III population, but they don't really know what does that mean in the patients they're seeing every day?" 

The pair's initiative comprises Highlander Health Institute, a public interest platform that will provide grants to health systems while partnering with other ecosystem players to move forward with modern and streamlined evidence generation. The idea is to create clinician-led learning labs to create and test solutions. 

Lyda Hill Philanthropies, a charitable group, will provide funding to help develop initial projects with health systems. "We've identified our first couple of projects. The first one's already funded," Hirsch said, noting that the company would provide more details about those projects in October.

"We are looking at how can we partner to develop learning labs with health systems to really prove what's possible? How do you better leverage all available data to answer key questions? How do you help to simplify the operational execution of trials?," Hirsch said.

Highlander Health also will have an investment arm, Highlander Health Partners, which will make investments of $50 million to $100 million in tech companies focused on advancing clinical research. The investment firm will support its businesses with capital, counsel and resources to ensure portfolio company success, the executives said. An evergreen fund that invests internal capital toward long-term value creation, the firm is focused on technology enablement in growth and middle-market companies across healthcare.

"We're really looking for established companies, which we believe we can then help to accelerate, either by bringing together a couple of different companies, or helping to reinforce the vision of an established company," Hirsch said. "The belief there is that we can help to really accelerate things. We can help with a bunch of different siloed companies that can be brought together to make a central solution to areas related to evidence generation, whether that's on the care side or the traditional life sciences side."

Hirsch added that both the investment arm and Highlander Health Institute are "trying solve the same core issue of how do we drive forward evidence generation and how do we optimize both discovery and care." "But, different mechanisms that serve different purposes to a degree," he said.

Abernethy and Hirsch believe they can leverage their combined expertise and five decades in healthcare, across academia, at companies small and large, and at FDA, to help improve clinical research and care delivery, especially where those two intersect.

Many companies have developed isolated point solutions but those approaches have been siloed, Abernethy noted.

"It's hard for those isolated point solutions to come together in aggregate to move the entire space forward," she said. "We saw this at Flatiron where in order for there really to be progress in real-world data and real-world evidence, on one side, there needed to be corporate investment to clean up data in high-quality ways. But, there also has to be multi-stakeholder work across the entire industry to understand what was possible, what was trustworthy, what regulators could use, what academics could use, what health systems needed."

Highlander Health is focused on building connected solutions that work across care settings to "streamline not only a treatment’s evaluation and approval but also its widespread adoption — all with an eye on what patients and providers need to flourish in an age of biological breakthroughs," Abernethy said.

The company is approaching evidence generation from the perspective of "the modern era of clinical research," Abernethy noted.

"That's all of clinical evidence generation, so formalized, traditional clinical trials, but also real-world data and real-world evidence and pragmatic clinical trials, and this landscape that we're finding ourselves in where medical products need to be evaluated over and over again. We've seen that with the shift towards accelerated approvals and needing to shift our evaluation of those drugs to the post-marketing setting. But, now, you also think about AI-based healthcare products that need to be continuously monitored to make sure that they're performing as expected," she said.

Clinical & Translational Science

Translating research to improve clinical care.

CTS Program Guide

The Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) Program is designed for trainees who seek to affect the translation of research into improved clinical care and public health. The CTS Program offers a PhD Program, a Master's Program, and an in-person certificate in Clinical & Translational Science and an online Introduction to Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR). This menu of training options allows individuals with varying educational goals to develop their clinical research skills.

The PhD, MS, and classroom-based certificate program are intended for individuals trained in the medical sciences, most commonly fully trained physicians. Others with similar backgrounds (e.g., DDS, DVM or PharmD), advanced biomedical or clinical degrees, or substantial biomedical or clinical research experience may also be considered. The HEOR Certificate is designed for professionals in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, clinicians, and other health care professionals.

Classes start on July 1 for all CTS programs.

CTS Faculty

Our faculty are drawn from the departments of Medicine, Occupational Therapy,  Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Public Health and Community Medicine, and Community Health. They are committed to teaching and clinical and translational research.

Most faculty are participants in the work and activities of the Tufts Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). Our students are also encouraged to participate in CTSI activities.

Students seeking admission to all of the CTSs Graduates Program apply to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences using the online application system.

Applicants to the CTS Certificate in Clinical & Translational Science have a strong interest in the topic but are unable to devote two years of full-time study to obtain the MS degree.

Applicants to the online Certificate in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) typically include professionals in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, clinicians and other health care professionals who seek an introduction to this topic.

CTS Programs

The CTS Program offers four different training options, a PhD program and an MS program and two Certificate Programs.

Some individuals enter the PhD Program after completing didactic courses and a qualifying exam in the MS program, while others with Master's degrees in Clinical & Translational Science may apply directly. 

The MS and PhD Programs offer concentrations in Clinical Discovery and Investigation, Clinical Effectiveness Research, and Practice to Policy Research.

The classroom-based Certificate focuses on Clinical & Translational Science. The online Certificate focuses on Health Economics and Outcomes Research.

Learn more about the CTS program by exploring our Frequently Asked Questions Page

Meet Our Students

Most of our students come to our programs after completing an advanced clinical degree.

CTS Students

Student Publications

Publishing research findings is an important part of our training.

Contact Information

Angie Rodday , PhD  Associate Program Director

Elizabeth Leary Senior Program Manager